Shloka 166
Bhīṣma’s Appraisal of Pāṇḍava-Alliance Warriors (Śikhaṇḍin, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, and Allied Kings)
उभयो: सेनयोर्वीरो रथो नास्तीति तादृश: । लाल नेत्रोंवाले निद्राविजयी अर्जुनके सखा और सहायक नारायणस्वरूप भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण हैं। कौरव-पाण्डव दोनों सेनाओंमें अर्जुनके समान वीर रथी दूसरा कोई नहीं है
ubhayor senayor vīro ratho nāstīti tādṛśaḥ | lāla-netro 'vale nidrā-vijayī arjunasya sakhā ca sahāyakaś ca nārāyaṇa-svarūpo bhagavān śrī-kṛṣṇaḥ | kaurava-pāṇḍava ubhayoḥ senayoḥ arjuna-samo vīra-rathī dvitīyo na kaścit |
ಭೀಷ್ಮನು ಹೇಳಿದರು—ಎರಡೂ ಸೇನೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿಯೂ ಅಂಥ ಮತ್ತೊಬ್ಬ ರಥವೀರನಿಲ್ಲ. ಏಕೆಂದರೆ ಅರ್ಜುನನ ಸ್ನೇಹಿತನೂ ಸಹಾಯಕನೂ ಸ್ವತಃ ಭಗವಾನ್ ಶ್ರೀಕೃಷ್ಣನೇ—ನಾರಾಯಣಸ್ವರೂಪಿ, ಪದ್ಮನೇತ್ರ, ನಿದ್ರಾಜಯಿ. ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ಕೌರವ-ಪಾಂಡವ ಎರಡೂ ಪಾಳಯಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಅರ್ಜುನನಿಗೆ ಸಮನಾದ ಎರಡನೆಯ ರಥಯೋಧನಿಲ್ಲ.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma highlights that true strength is not merely personal prowess but also the quality of one’s support and alignment with dharma: Arjuna’s unmatched status arises because his ally is Śrī Kṛṣṇa, identified with Nārāyaṇa—implying that divine guidance and righteous companionship elevate human capability.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberations, Bhīṣma assesses the relative power of the opposing forces. He declares that no chariot-warrior in either the Kaurava or Pāṇḍava army equals Arjuna, chiefly because Kṛṣṇa—ever-vigilant and divine in nature—stands as Arjuna’s friend and helper.